“You, the intelligent Black, would seemingly have two options – both of them bad.”[1]

What does a TV series like TopBoy do to reinforce/challenge stereotypical representation of ethnic minorities as criminals?

Ethnic minorities have ‘accused all broadcasters of tokenism and stereotyping, screening exaggerated’[2] extreme representations that fail to reflect modern ethnic minorities. The mass media had already established ‘the link between ‘filth’ and ethnic minorities’[3] since the 19^th century. Gramsci’s view on hegemony can be applied to both elements of old and new racist stereotypes in the current media, thus racism still pervades our society due to the images shown. TopBoy (2011) represent black youths’ daily lifestyle, in North London, which involves gang culture, poverty and lack of opportunity where Ronan Bennett, the director, wanted to produce something ‘honest’. This is represented in a historic text Babylon (1981) and also TopBoy and shows why ethnic minorities resort to brutality of the streets. From the representations being reinforced and challenged through TopBoy, the audience is highly critical as it ‘continually misrepresent[s]’ [4]ethnic minorities which may ‘strengthen the lines of division in a community’.[5]

Stereotypes help media industries to represent ‘codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people’[6] which can reinforce negative stereotypes. Hall argues ethnic minorities are represented in three categories: troublemakers, entertainers and dependent, it can be applied to a historic point of view thirty years before TopBoy; Babylon (1981). Babylon represents ethnic minorities as working class entertainers. Franco Rosso, the director, based the view around the racial divide of London and the lack of opportunities available to black people and poverty, which is also represented in TopBoy.

TopBoy supports Hall’s theory as the David had lost his job and gets beaten up which led to David to be seen as a ‘troublemaker,’ reinforcing negative stereotypes. Also, by aggressively responding to racist remarks made throughout by the community, for example ‘go back to where you’re from’, shows them to be entertaining the white community and also reflected the ‘zeitgeist’ as it reflected black people were seen as slaves, which can be also called ‘dependent’ on the middle class. However, Hall can be criticised as in TopBoy Dushane and family friend offer Ra’nell money but rejects it which connotes ethnic minorities are not dependent and these labels do not fit.

Official statistics show that “black people are 26 times more likely to be stopped and searched”[7] considering they constitute less than nine per cent of the population in England, the media has perpetuated negative stereotypes of, in particular, black people. TopBoy reinforce negative stereotypes of ethnic minorities being as criminal as they characters Dushane and Sully have to pay back Raikes a large sum, where they resort to illegitimate ways, reinforcing the lack of legitimate opportunities for ethnic minorities. However, Gilroy describes the view of ethnic minorities as criminals to be ‘mythical’ due to the ‘result of distorted media attention’[8] and the police and criminal justice system acting on these racist stereotypes, victimising ethnic minorities. TopBoy show an integration within black people as Dushane says to Ra’Nell “if anyone is bullying you, disrespecting you let me know init, ill sort it out”. Ethnic minorities show their status through actions, which is evident through ‘ill sort this out’; this is supported ‘the coon Caricature’ as in both TopBoy and Babylon show ethnic minorities such as black people to act and speak in similar ways which is reinforcing dominant stereotypes of youths.

Nonetheless, minorities have ‘long attempted to convince industry decision-makers to seek better balance in news coverage of minorities’[9] to reduce negativism in societies because when ethnic communities become active in responding the mass media coverage victimises those who are being targeted, creating sympathy. “Although black people are often portrayed as criminals to be feared, they 36 times more likely than white person to be a victim of a violent attack”[10] However, the BBC represents Asian characters as ‘unnaturally smart’[11]. Asian parents to have high expectations on their children which are positive representations of Asians through the media and arguably over-represented due to recent events such as 9/11 and Bradford riots, as these show not every Asian is successful legitimately. An increase of Islamic fundamentalism has brought negative representations for Asians as they are stereotyped to be ‘terrorist’ and represented as criminals within society.

In addition, the media can produce moral panics through stereotypes: “A moral panic refers to the reaction of a group of people based on the false belief that another sub-culture or a group poses danger to the society”[12]. Cohen identified three central elements: ‘exaggeration, prediction and symbolisation’[13]. The media has been accused to exaggerate the violence and the number of people involved, which is not shown in TopBoy as interviews show you cannot do something without the ‘feds’ being around. The moral panic was central around ‘boundaries of crises’[14], when society does not know the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Babylon (1981) shows black people finding their rights by attacking racism which created moral panic within society, arguably creating self-fulfilling prophecy in today’s society, which shows ethnic minorities to be criminals. Babylon was directed by a Black male where it can be argued does not reinforce negative stereotypes of ethnic minorities.

Hall et al neo-Marxist, argues moral panics arise ‘in relation to members of ethnic minorities, drug use, raves, single mothers and out of control youths’[15], which is shown in TopBoy as Ra’Nell has a single mother and drugs are being used throughout, and also distracts the attention away from the crisis of capitalism and the exploitation within the two divisions: proletariats and the bourgeoisie. Cohen also argues that simple facts being reported is ‘enough to generate concern, anxiety or panic’[16] Therefore, Cohen argues the mass media create new and problematic social groups which are usually associated with ethnic minorities.

Music genre usually addressed to grime and rap music, are criticised for encouraging violence and criminality. There are numerous ways in which the media might possibly cause their audience to become criminals, imitation may occur by providing deviant role models, resulting to copycat behaviour as “black students are the heaviest TV watchers’[17], they are being transmitted knowledge of criminal techniques. The negative labels on their audience has been studied and shown the exposure of media violence has at ‘most a small and limited negative effects on the audiences’[18]. In TopBoy not all of the ethnic minority characters are shown to be involved in crime as the protagonist, Ra’Nell, who tries to avoid a lifestyle full of drugs and criminal activity. His actions cause the narrative disequilibrium as he subverts against expected actions, which shows the directors are trying to portray an alternative view, excluding criminal activity. However, Lea and Young say ‘the mass media help to increase the sense of relative deprivation’[19] which encourages violence and criminality as the media represent everyone having a ‘good life’ and they feel marginalised as they cannot afford these materialistic lifestyles.

On the other hand, TopBoy do not glamorise in the first five minutes of the first series, the London eye and the estates around are the main aspects of the shot were we automatically assume crime and drug use occurs. The clothing used throughout TopBoy is mainly tracksuits and hoodies which connote the day-to-day clothing for those on the streets where the audience can identify how people look if they are involved in criminal activity. By dominant ideologies such as clothing and settings being repeated creates typification (Schutz), a view that everyone knows without thinking about, associated with ethnic minorities, drug use is related to ethnic minorities. The setting is not glamorised either as there is no green screen, all the shots are based in Hackney which suggest the realism; showing ‘an accurate portrayal’[20] of an ordinary lifestyle in North London which consist of both negative and positive representations within ethnic minorities. However, they take a postmodernist approach by basing TopBoy around estates yet recording with a HD-camera glamorises the settings.

In TopBoy, authority and power is represented through objects such as guns, and if he felt his authority being challenged he had the weapon to regain his status. Therefore, ‘whether intentionally or unintentionally, both the news and the entertainment media ‘teach’ the public about minorities’[21] and these views are social constructed due to self-fulfilling prophecy and historical reconstruction. Messerschmidt (1993) argues that masculinity is socially constructed or ‘accomplished’ and men have to constantly work to construct that label by others, there are two types of masculinity ‘hegemonic’ and ‘subordination’ where ethnic minorities in the lower-class have an expectation of a reasonable job and may use gang membership and violence to express their masculinity.

The representations of the youths in TopBoy are shown negatively as they are seen as drug users and involved in criminal activities and aggressive behaviour, but could also reflect accuracy in Hackney society. It can argue that the representations are somewhat positive as when Dris calls his friends when the group rob them, they run to them which connotes unity within the society. Also it is multi-narrative as it goes back to a young boy, Ra'Nell, in an estate watching over all this violence, but he has a depressed lone-parent after having an abusive husband, to Ra’nell the violence outside is no different to what he saw when he was younger. TopBoy starts with a disequilibrium where two black youths got robbed by other black males, Todorov’s theory, which reinforced negative stereotypes on ethnic minorities of being criminals. Ra’nell is taking care of his mother shows an alternative representation of black youths, relating back to Marxism and how the media controls us by having the media represent the reality in life, through stereotypes of a certain group. By representing black people as them being criminals may cause a moral panic as it shows what is happening around London and the audience may link back recent events with situations raised in TopBoy for example The London Riots.

Ethnic minority males are usually shown to be criminals within the media, which is supported through TopBoy as the groups consist of mainly men and also through official statistics. The British Crime Survey had shown ‘historically, the consistent pattern has been that women are less likely to offend than men’[22]. Both Topboy and Babylon represent ‘gangs’ that consist mainly of men which could reinforce the negative stereotypes on ethnic males. News coverage usually shows males than women who have committed a crime which could suggest the reasons for why stereotypes of ethnic males are more likely to commit a crime compared to ethnic women.

The New Right believe children brought up in lone-parent households subvert to crime as they have a ‘lack of role models’[23] and ‘responsible for crime’[24], usually within ethnic minority families. In TopBoy, many of the characters came from a nuclear family which contradicts New Rights theory however, the protagonist Ra’nell, who is from a lone-parent family, subverts his attention away from criminal activity, even though he did and still does not have a strong role model. This connotes that TopBoy does not reinforce ethnic minorities being criminals and challenges these stereotypes. Also, many ethnic minorities such as Asian families have nuclear families which shows’ having a lack of role models does not affect whether or not children resort to criminal activities.

Channel 4 is a commercial broadcaster which ‘distinctive education content for young people, often tackling subjects’[25], for example TopBoy educates us about stereotypes and how life is in different parts on London, which includes ‘peak time programmes and online services’. TopBoy, which was shown three months after the London riots (2011), reinforced yet challenged negative stereotypes on ethnic minorities. By challenging stereotypes of ethnic minorities they are ‘reflecting the diversity of Britain; culturally and geographically’[26] and are trying to show Britain through the ‘voices of a new generation’[27]. Channel 4 have been highly criticised TopBoy, as it ‘lacked realism’[28] however as the director took two years interviewing East London and reinventing his life which he believes for it to be highly realistic. The producer and director portrayed an alternative view within TopBoy which is you can live on an estate and not be involved in crime; therefore they challenged the audiences view on those who live on estates. Babylon, on the other hand, was a view shown from a black person of black people’s lives in the 1980s therefore did not lack realism and did not show ethnic minorities as criminals.

Channel 4 have reinforced negative stereotypes as TopBoy is in an area where there is a higher population of blacks than Asians.Therefore, the reproduce accurate representations of youths in that area but also show an alternative view through ethnic minorities not going into crime and being stereotyped as the typical ‘criminal’. Due to ethnic minorities been seen as criminials, Dyer (1993) states that “how we are seen determines in part how we are treated; how we treat others is based on how we see them; such seeing comes from representations.[29] The BBC who produce Eastenders are there to entertain, inform and educate the audience, they show Asians to be smart which could indicate what Asians’ master status is and challenges the recent stereotypes of Asians being ‘terrorists’ and criminals.

Over half of ethnic minorities have said ‘they learn a lot from TV’[30] which is beneficial when TopBoy challenge negative stereotypes because television is a ‘primarily a vehicle for entertainment but also as a learning tool and a point of entry into the wider world’[31] . On the other hand, racism on television programmes in the UK exploded in 2007 as Shilpa Shetty was subjected to ‘vicious racial slurs’ in the Big Brother house, in 2007. This created an outcry in India as there were a large number of objections to both her treatment and Channel 4’s decision to broadcast these scenes. This led to a national debate reaching the House of Commons, as it did not show UK’s multi-cultural society. From this incident Channel 4 became sensitive due to the number of allegations of their programmes, which suggests that because Channel 4 has already been highly criticised about racism they wanted to a contrasted view that does not reinforce stereotypical behaviour through ethnic minorities.

According to the hypodermic needle, information from the media is being shot like a ‘magic bullet’[32] which suggests ethnic minorities are most vulnerable, as they are easily influenced by what they see from television programmes. TopBoy Ra’nell is continuously told to ‘step up and be a man’ which connotes males that do not want to fight are not classified as a ‘man’. This shows negative information is being perpetuated throughout TopBoy and affecting ethnic minority’s actions, and are ‘most likely to see television as a reflection of real life’[33]. Minorities are reliant on what is shown and gather information from programmes of different social groups and not from personal experience. However, TopBoy reinforced dominant ideologies, such as teenage pregnancy and drug using within ethnic minorities which connotes the audience are able to change these representations by not copying them.

By analysing historical and contemporary texts, it is evident to see that these representative images have strengthened the issue of racial stereotyping where “the repetition of stereotypes and the absence of plausible alternative means that the values wrapped up in the stereotype come to appear as ‘common sense’”[34]. Steven Neale says “genre are instance of repetition and difference” which shows there are dominant and alternative ideologies being continuously perpetuated. This concludes ethnic stereotypes maintain the hegemonic control and reinforces the status quo and being amplified.

Word count: 2190

Work Cited:

Bibliography

Alia, Valerie, and Simone Bull. Media and ethnic minorities. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005. Print.

Bennet, Peter. Slater, Jerry. Wall, Peter (2006) A2 media studies: the essential introduction

Calvert, Ben. Casey, Bernadette. Casey, Neil.. French, Liam. & Lewis, Justin. (2007). Television Studies: The Key Concepts (Routledge Key Guides) (2 ed.). New York: Routledge.

Creeber, Glen. (2008). The Television Genre Book (Second Edition ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dyer, Richard. (1993). The Matter of Images: Essays on Representations (1 ed.). New York: Routledge.

Webb,R. Westergaard,H. Trobe.K, Steel,L (2009) A2 Sociology

Williams, Kevin. (2003). Understanding Media Theory (Hodder Arnold Publication). London: A Hodder Arnold Publication.

Moving Text:

TopBoy (UK- 2011 presented Channel 4)

Babylon (USA)

Eastenders (UK- 2009 BBC)

Internet

Stereotypes

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=race

Top Soaps Accused Of Stereotyping Ethnic Minorities